Ivan V. Vakhovskyi

Ivan Vakhovskyi Volodymyrovich was born in 1997 in the city of Brody, Lviv region, in a large family. He graduated from the Ivan Kozhedub Kharkiv University of the Air Force. After graduation, he was assigned to the 16th Separate Army Aviation Brigade "Brody". He repeatedly participated in peacekeeping missions. He was a participant in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and the Joint Forces Operation (JFO). In 2021, Ivan had just returned from Africa, from the Republic of Congo. He proposed to his beloved girlfriend, and they planned to get married. Ivan had already bought a house, a car, and really wanted to start a family. However, a full-scale war began. The officer defended the Ukrainian sky from the enemy, for which he was awarded the Order of Danylo Halytsky in March 2022. He died on March 31, 2022, as part of the crew of a Mi-8 helicopter, when it tried to evacuate heavily wounded defenders of the city from the encircled Mariupol. The helicopter was shot down by Russian invaders in the village of Rybatske near Mariupol. He is survived by his mother, brother, and fiancée. Ivan Vakhovskyi was buried on May 27, 2024. For personal courage and selfless actions, displayed in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the military oath, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Volodymyrovich Vakhovskyi was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, 3rd degree (posthumously).